Coli Punk heads: What would you say is the difference between UK and US punk?

[DTR90]

Obviously talking about the classic era from the 70s/80s here, not this skater dude/emo crap. Bands like The Clash, The Jam, Buzzcocks, Sex Pistols etc vs. The Ramones, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys and Minor Threat.

I always found that American punk is a lot more raw, ramshackle and aggressive, especially the hardcore stuff. A lot of the time an album sounds like a rough demo, such as Black Flag's Damaged and you can feel the energy through your speakers when you hear them. They didn't seem to care much for intricacy, just sheer power.

British bands, on the other hand, despite also being pretty raw and aggressive, could also write the perfect pop song. I also found the Brits to be more experimental with other genres, like The Clash did on London Calling which is arguably the GOAT of all GOAT albums.

 

[mortuus est]

show me some

 

[definition]

I think it would be tough/impossible to make a general statement that applies to each country's version of "punk."

US bands have plenty of experimentation with other genres (Agent Orange, Minutemen, Bad brains, big boys). And, of course, the UK had the Exploited, Crass, GBH, and other more straight-up hardcore bands. (both the US and UK bands I mentioned are basically second wave ... 1978-1981, post ramones/pistols breaking).

I do think the hardcore movement made a conscious effort to separate itself from the early UK scene (in look and attitude, as well as sound), but it also separated itself from the early US scene. More serious, more aggressive, angrier. But there were plenty of bands doing it less aggressively in the US as well,

Not sure the big difference is the music itself, but rather the way it was received in each country. The US didn't have a John Peel to support the music on radio like UK did, so maybe that contributed to the almost desperation in the do-it-yourself movement here.

 

[STEVE]

i think to put it rather simply UK punk/hardcore's second wave of the oi!/UK82 (DISCHARGE, DISORDER, CHAOS UK, etc.) scene was much uglier, noisier, and more attuned to the working-class of england which was going through insanely rough economic times compared to the US where hardcore developed in places like california with BLACK FLAG and rich areas like DC and MINOR THREAT. i think NYHC in the 80's like early AGNOSTIC FRONT came closest to the spirit of the UK situation but the NY hardcore bands had a more urban influence and also included non-whites (BAD BRAINS, the latino punks/skins, etc.) the UK was pretty much all disenfranchised whites.